Desharnais gets four-year, $14-million deal

The Canadiens announced on Friday morning that they have signed centre David Desharnais, 26, to a four-year contract extension worth $14 million. The deal will kick in next season and run through 2016-17.

In 27 games this season, the 5-foot-7, 177-pound Desharnais has 8-8-16 totals and is minus-2.

“David Desharnais is a talented young player and his contribution is essential to the success of our team,” general manager Marc Bergevin said in a news release. “David has shown perseverance and determination which enabled him to reach the NHL and succeed. He has earned this contract extension and the Canadiens organization is pleased to have secured his services for many years to come.”

Said coach Michel Therrien: “David deserves everything that’s happening to him. We’re pleased to have a good guy like that on our team.”

Tweeted teammate Brandon Prust (@BrandonPrust8): “Congrats to Davey Desharnais on his new deal. Habs future is looking great!.. Good thing I’m not gm I woulda gave the guy 20 mill!”

Tweeted Josh Gorges (@jgorges26): “Congrats to #DD on signing with the #Canadiens for 4 more years!!! Great day for both #Habs and Davy #wheresdinner”

In other moves Friday, the Canadiens assigned forward Petteri Nokelainen to the Hamilton Bulldogs after he cleared NHL waivers and called up Michael Blunden, who had 10-12-22 totals in 54 games with the Bulldogs. Blunden will replace Michael Ryder, who is sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Desharnais, a native of Laurier-Station, was never drafted and joined the Canadiens as a free agent in November 2008. In 157 career NHL games, he has 32-67-99 totals and is plus-4.

Desharnais was on the ice for practice Friday morning in Brossard as the Canadiens prepared for Saturday’s game in New Jersey against the Devils (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN Radio 690).

Also on the ice was defenceman Jarred Tinordi, the Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2010, who was called up from the Hamilton Bulldogs on Thursday and will make his NHL debut Saturday with Francis Bouillon as his partner. Tinordi will wear No. 42.

The other defence pairings at practice were: Markov-Emelin; Gorges-Subban.

1,023 Comments

I haven’t been reading much today, apart from Loonie’s contention that Eller was inevitably on the block, so I don’t know what else has been discussed concerning DD’s new contract.

As far as Eller is concerned, here is how I see it:

Desharnais has two less years committed to the Habs than Pacioretty at nowhere near the same coin. A major change from the past regime’s hovering between two extremes, never signing during the season only to lose the player in the summer to the panicking and then over priced signing for too long of a term. I think the Habs made an excellent and very shrewd deal in signing Desharnais both in terms of length and dollars. I had my concerns about Desharnais’ own potential for longevity in the NHL at the start of this season but he broke out after his slow start and showed more than just a few glimpses of the magic he pulled out of his hat last year. With the signing, Gorges, Pacioretty, Price and now Desharnais are the young core that the Habs have committed to.

Now Eller’s play as of late has been off the map scary good. However Eller is still on his entry level contract. He’ll be an RFA next negotiation round and if not mistaken is not yet eligible for arbitration. Even so, at 1.5M on his last year he is looking at a bridge contract which takes him right up to the end of Plekanec’ term. No need to trade Plekenec either. As for Galchenyuk, he will be facing his first RFA contract a year after the Habs resign Eller. There is no reason that Galchenyuk cannot continue playing wing. If a centre goes down he may be relied upon to step in. I think the players who stand to face adversity are Leblanc and Bournival as their hill just got steeper and higher to climb. Gone are the days of the Habs being thin up the middle.

You never know how these big contracts to very young players are going to turn out. Subban is doing great at the moment, but that quite possibly would not be the case if he’d gotten the term and money he wanted. On the one hand, when a player signs a big contract, he’s bound to feel, consciously or otherwise, that he’s already proven himself; on the other, the expectations that go along with the contract put a ton of pressure on him. Look at Tyler Myers with Buffalo. Subban is playing for his long-term deal, knowing that if he continues to progress the way he’s doing, he’ll get the big bucks after next season.

there have been many players who didn’t want to play in Montreal.
clearly, there is a reason why he didn’t sign right away.

if you think Subban is thinking, “wow! I almost made a terrible mistake trying to get a bigger contract and more financial security!! thankfully, management had my best interests in mind”, I know you are sadly mistaken.

Interesting stat. Montreal has played 1 more game than Pittsburgh, and given up 10 less goals. Pretty neat I thought… With all the days off In between games, I seem to think out Habs were a bit rusty last outting. I hope they play a superb game tomorrow.

If you look at comparables in capgeek you will see that DD is right in the middle of guys making around $3.5M Theres are lot of guys on the list better than DD and a lot of guys nowhere as good. He’s also one of the youngest, so should have more upside.

Brady Vail was just ranked as the second best defensive forward by the OHL coaches poll. He did this while having a -21 plus/minus rating. Which begs the question. Are coaches stupid or is plus/minus not a good defensive stat?

Fresher because more people eat them.or more people eat them because they are fresher?

Can it not be argued that the reason they are a first place team is because the majority of their players are “plus” players?

Same thing for the last place team, their players are not minus because they are in last place, they are in last place because their players are “minus”. They allow more goals then they score.
That being said it is not fair to compare + – stats between two players on different teams. It is very informative to compare + – between players on the same team.Those with the bigger plus are the ones who are most responsible for the teams success.

Happy St. Paddy”s Day Amigos! My Son Frontenac Jr. left for Montreal today to hitch up with some of his Concordia buddies for some Irish Fun. He said they were going to be at Hurley”s at some point tonight ,so if any of you Mtl. posters see a 6ft. 4in. Lad with Red Hair and a green Jameison shirt,tell him to Keep his Dukes Down. He is not his Great,Great Grandfather! Saludos Amigos!

@Habfan10912 Thing is Jim, that phrase we all hate in infantry. “what if”, if the Habs went for Gabby, and he sucks to high heaven then the Habs would have to listen to more McDonagh crap until the next big bust.

At least with Iggy (imho) you are getting a wonderful leader, you know everyone and their dog loves him, he’s a very hard worker and at 35 you know he only has very short window of opportunity to win the Cup (which we all know is the number one thing on a good Canadian kid’s mind).

With Gabby do you get the sniper or the that lump of crap that sits on your doorstep every Friday night flaming away until I step on it and call that @$#% poop!

I loved Pacioretty’s comment about the DD signing (on TSN). He said that Montreal has former hockey players in management now, so they understand how valuable a guy like DD is because they know and understand hockey. I think he is taking a shot at all those who don’t like the deal or think that DD is too small.

I think he was talking about all the guys they have recently hired in the front office, not the GM.

Desharnais appreciates Gainey that’s for sure. The John Lu report says that it was Carbonneau that noticed DD in Cincinnati and convinced Gainey to sign him, so those two guys know hockey as well.

Here is the entire Pacioretty quote.

“If anyone in the world deserves a contract like that it’s Davy,” Pacioretty said. “He’s put in the work at every level.

“He’s proven everyone wrong. There’s a lot of ex-hockey players working in the (Canadiens) system now and it takes a hockey player to know how valuable he is to a team. They understood it, obviously.

“It’s a little more special for me, considering how much we’ve played together. We’ve had a lot of talks about how much we want to be signed here and how special it is to play here. And I know him, being a French guy from right down the road, it’s the icing on the cake.”

DD#51 played for Carbo’s junior team for 4 years & was aware of his abilties although it was probably to help stock Hamilton rather than a future player in The NHL. Theo Fleury was drafted by Calgary to be a AHL player not an NHLer as well. Both players surprised the so-called experts & scouts……

so wait, are we upset that we actually have the depth and luxury to have a few 50-60 point guy on our team now?
We signed DD for a very reasonable (and worst comes to worst moveable) contract. Yes we still have Gally, Eller and Pleks at center. With a rotating case of Dumont and White for the fourth line. But the bruins won the cup with a ton of centers! They had one line of all centers if i remeber correctly. That was one of their best lines come play off time.

I´m not a 100% sure if that contract is that moveable. He´s a hard guy to evaluate in terms of worth to other teams. Habs may have given him a bit of a bonus as a gesture of respect.
Then again, with teams allowed to trade money in trades now, almost every contract becomes moveable, right?

Unfortunately, his lack of size is his “hump”.. Even his own fan base criticizes him because of his smaller stature..I look at it as a guy making the show despite his lack of idealisms and that just speaks volumes about the kid’s character..

Remember the old saying, “It isn’t the size of the dog in the fight, its the fight in the dog…”

I absolutely love Desharnais..The kid has some sweet hands and a great vision/drive..

——————
Brandon Prust doesn’t have hair on his testicles, because hair does not grow on steel….

I don’t know if people know this or not. But did you know that Blake Geoffrion was named after the great Toe Blake. Toe was his God Father.
Blake tried very hard to keep the family name in the game. Nice that he got to play a little with the Hab’s

No matter how short his time was, he’s in the history books forever. He comes from a great family and probably still managed to pocket a nice chunk of cash. The kid still has a great life in front of him.

…for the foreseeable future I will be annoyingly and shamelessly crusading for Our Montreal Canadiens to retire Toe Blake’s number 6 …and add His banner in the rafters next to Our other former Greats

…now some of You may believe Toe was only a Great Coach, and as a Player, did not quite rate such an honor …and/or do not want yet another low-number unavailable to contemporary Players
…maybe forgetting Toe Blake won an NHL scoring championship, the Hart Trophy and a Lady Byng, and led Our Habs in scoring in 6 seasons of His Hall Of Fame playing career …He was an essential component with The Rocket and Elmer Lach on ‘The Punch Line’ which was the most feared scoring line of it’s day

…most remember Toe Blake as the genius Coach of the Montreal Canadiens at the cusp of Our Golden Era …the Golden Era that most of Us were inspired by to follow Our Habs as if it was ‘a religion’ unto It’s own

…Toe Blake’s name is on 11 rings of the Stanley Cup; 8 as Our Coach, 2 as a Player for the Montreal Canadiens and one as a Montreal Maroon

…Toe Blake was the ‘heart and soul’ Whom inspired and ‘showed the way’ to Our great Players of the time, both as a Player and as Our Coach

…His Legacy is greatly taken for granted, I strongly believe, by the fact Toe Blake’s number 6 is not represented yet in the rafters of the Bell Centre

…the totality of Toe Blake’s legacy, as a Player and Our Coach, to the History and exceptional success of the Montreal Canadiens as the most famous brand in the hockey world is way past the overdue stage

…I wish to request all Montreal Canadiens Fans to join with Ian Cobb and I to right a wrong

…I suggested to Ian to theme this year’s Summit on Toe Blake …to incorporate some homage to Toe …maybe even make a request to Hurley’s Tavern to try to replicate the ambiance of the famed former Toe Blake’s Tavern

…I will leave that to Ian, of what is doable in that regard …knowing Ian, He is more than capable (Note Bene: such may not be possible this October, because of the projected lock-out)

…meanwhile, some clear input must be made by Habs’ Fans that agree with the objective, to let Their feelings and opinions be known to Geoff Molson and Montreal Canadiens Management
…that means You !!! Boys and Girls

…if this is something You would like to make right as I and Ian do, I provide the following mail contacts to send Your requests to ‘Retire Number 6 !!!’

…if anyOne out there have other suggestions please let Ian and I know …they will be considered and appreciated

The following persons are the most relevant to send your testimonials to Retire Number 6 !!!:

…it’s been many many years since I can recall so much new blood coming up through Our own system with NHL potential

…We will soon have more above-average rated D-men coming out of Our Wazoo than We will know what to do with

…and soon more wing options than on My Son’s NHL 13

…I’m the type of Fan that loves My Team …that includes every solitary Guy on the Team …especially when We are winning …and, WHAT ??? is more ‘winning’ than first place ???

…so, I have difficulty doing what a lot of You Guys love doing, speculating on the next trade …because, to Me, Team equates Family …and, I don’t derive pleasure contemplating losing My Son or Daughter, or any member of My Family

…but, I guess My way of looking at things may be a little extreme in it’s own way …it sure looks like there will not be room for everyOne over the next few years

I’m a pretty avid hockey fan but I had no clue about Bergevin’s background, other than he was an assistant GM in Chicago. I do actually remember him as a player as well.

The Canadiens were so bad last year that if Pierre McGuire were to be hired it would have been an improvement. I figured this guy would pull the trigger on a bunch of deals to make us a MUCH tougher team to play against. What did we have to lose?

But after watching Bergevin conduct himself and all the smart moves he’s made, I now realize it would have been a huge mistake if McGuire were to have been hired. It would have been a circus and McGuire probably would have sent Beaulieu to LA for Penner by now.

McGuire did get interviewed for The Habs GM job & according to some reports he came second but he always seems to come second or worse for NHL GM Jobs – Calgary-Minnesota-Montreal-Tampa (And who knows how many other jobs) as well as interviewing for Ottawa GM when Bryan Murray was trying to decide whether or not to leave his GM position……

I like that DD has been extended. He’s an important player on this team, great offensive guy, steady point producer. As small as he is, he doesn’t get injured. Which maybe why we underestimate his value because we never get to miss him. His absence would hurt this team tremendously as it would throw everything out of whack, including the PP.

One thing I’ll concede to those disappointed is this. I think MB may have given Desharnais $3,5 mil per / 4 yrs out of respect. Not saying DD doesn’t deserve the contract, he does (based on production, being an integral part of team and everything else).
But I sort of agree that DD would have probably not turned down a deal at $3M per, based on his situation with the team, new pressure coming from Eller, the hard line used against Subban. If you can see a player signing for less than he’s getting paid, it means he might be overpaid to a point. But comparables around the league say the contract is quite fair…

Galchenyuk is going to be a good, big #1 centre in this league. Is that not why MB took him 3rd overall? Eller IMO could also be a #1 centre in this league but could be a great #2 with the Habs. Why did Bergevin just give a four year $14m deal to a guy that can’t be a 3rd or 4th line centre? Does this mean either Eller or Galchenyuk will be dealt or wasted on the wing for the next 4 years?
I don’t like how this is shaping up.

Chuck has played as much wing as Center in Junior so he can play wing for now. In fact I saw an interview (believe Team USA summer camp) in which he stated that he had always played wing until he got to Sarnia. So maybe he was drafted to be a good big forward

Can’t stand McGuire.
I was thinking we would trade David and maybe get bigger at center. I am not one who thinks we are going to win the cup this year or next. I just don’t get the forward plan with David on the team?

Problem is no one not named MB knows what his plan is. That includes the person who didn’t get the job. I’m sure PM said he had dinner with DD’s grandfather in town X when DD was playing midgets for the Village Esso team and he told him …………..

I agree with the “one year too many” part, but hey, I understand that there’s another party across the bargaining table. Does McGuire think the Habs simply draw up a contract that is perfect for them, then hold a gun to DD’s head and make him sign it?

McGuire, pffft. I wonder if he’s still bitching about the Eller trade? Or if he still thinks MaxPac is the second coming of Mike McPhee?

Pierre Mcguire also said trading Subban for Yakupov would have been a great trade. People say things doesn’t mean they are right and McGuire is an idiot. I wish he’d get a job so A he can shut up and B he can prove what kind of GM he actually is.

Something about Vail, every time I see him play i find something else I like, just have this feeling he is going to have a pretty good NHL not AHL career. If you are looking to be really impressed with our Junior drafted players though look no further than Darren Dietz who I have seen play on many occasions and seems to be a star in the making, and is making waves in MVP consideration for the WHL.

Absolutely ridiculous stats for a dman over his last 23 games
12 goals 16 assists and a plus 29..

Did we draft Terry Ryan because he was the “gros ailier gauche” that we as a hockey market have been pining for since the seventies and the flop of Perry Turnbull? Jarome was deemed unworthy, as a right winger, he’d never be as good as Guy Lafleur, so what would be the point of taking him…

But now, then end is near, and so he faces his final curtain. I’d still take the guy, but Calgary isn’t going to want what we have to offer in return, they’ll want fresh young players and high draft picks. I think the conversation would start around Lars Eller and their second-round pick that they want back, and go from there, and that’s too rich for our blood.

Just a thought but to me, Buffalo sending Grigorenko back to Junior has more to do with giving him the opportunity to develop. He would be much better served by participating in the play-offs as an offensive dominate force instead of a spare part in NHL.

Not sure why everyone is claiming that Galchenyulk is a defensive liability:

In 300 minutes of even strength ice time he has been on the ice for a total of 9 goals against. an avergae of 1 goal allowed every 33 minutes , better than average. Offensively, he has been on the ice for 17 goals in that span averaging one GF for every 18 minutes of ice time.

Anyway here is a list of all the Habs forwards defensive “productivity” numbers:

Forwards defensive production:
Minutes of ice time per goal against (even strength)

Not “everyone is claiming that Galchenyuk is a defensive liability”. That’s not the case. The general gist is that some posters point out he has to improve his defence, which isn’t surprising for a 19 year old rookie, or controversial. I stated that he’s still skating hard and getting chance but having trouble converting, but never said what you claim, so that invalidates your claim right there.

As far as your numbers go, we have to temper them by remembering that Alex is being managed in his icetime. Alex is getting sheltered minutes and situations as much as can be engineered in his rookie year, and that makes his stats look better. Tomas Plekanec’s look worse, but he has a much tougher job to do every game.

Michel Therrien is showing great discipline by not giving him too much too soon or putting him in situations where he’s likely to fail. He did the same with Greg Pateryn. With Brendan Gallagher, however, he’s slowly easing the leash as the kid shows him he can take more slack. Even a detractor like me is impressed with the Head Coach so far.

Late to all this and full props to Loonie for sticking to his long running hypothesis that something has to give at centre – and that the day’s info suggests Eller is the odd man out.

From this “guessing as much as the next guy perch” though, I am much more aligned to Myron’s POV, particularly given how the current cost factor for Eller. Sure it may actually be a huge benefit in getting more for him, but i put my stock in the reported comment that Eller was the most asked about player by other teams when MB took over.

Any team that has been looking for a big centre since Bobby Smith was pried away from Minnesota is not going to let Eller go … just can’t see it.

I posted earlier that the top 2 scorers in the NCAA, Carey and Walters, are both undrafted and unsigned juniors. If Kristo with 21 goals and 45 points this season may be NHL ready, how about Carey with 28 goals 51 points? Carey has 66 goals in his 3 NCAA seasons, Kristo has 63 in his 4 NCAA seasons. Carey is also from Hamilton and might not mind starting his pro career out there if need be

A father buys a lie detector robot that slaps people when they lie.
He decides to test it out at dinner one night.
The father asks his son what he did that day.
The son says, “I did some schoolwork.” The robot slaps the son.
The son says, “Ok, Ok. I was at a friend’s house watching movies.”
Dad asks, “What movie did you watch ?”
Son says, “Toy Story.” The robot slaps the son.
Son says, “Ok, Ok we were watching porn.”
Dad says, “What?
At your age I didn’t even know what porn was.”
The robot slaps the father.
Mom laughs and says, “Well, he is certainly your son ..”
The robot slaps the mother.

For those who REALLY follow hockey players….just how bad is Galchenyuk in the forechecking aspect/positioning aspect at centre.
Many on here are speculating he is terrible, but I want to hear from guys who really have a knowledge of what centres are expected to do on the defensive side of things.
I mean, isn´t his awesome offensive talent enought o offest his defensive inexperience? And can´t a kid with that kind of innate talent (he´also not small) progress defensively fairly fast? To me, getting defensively better is not as hard as getting offensively better. You can´t teach natural offensive talent, but postioning, forechecking, surely that can be learned? Talking, really, about next year…

It isn’t his “defensive ability”. His smooth skating is a lot like Joe Thornton and by that I mean you don’t hear his stride. He can sneak up on guys with back pressure without them feeling pressure or hearing the slashes and swooshes that come with a more labouring stride.

It’s his strength that is the only issue. He isn’t yet strong enough to battle for the puck and come out on top more often than not.

The centre, left wing, right wing in terms of forechecking and backchecking has been dead for years.

Teams above the minor hockey level all use F1, F2, F3 and not in the keyboard sense. The responsibilities of each forward are determined according to who the first man into each zone is.

The job differs from the wing in that the centreman has more responsibility in the defensive zone in supporting the puck and making very quick decisions.

I don’t have as good an explanation as Tom in terms of the X’s and O’s (although I am tempted to raise the whole F1, F2, F3 nomenclature with a couple of my beer league teammates who don’t seem to grasp when they are F3 and what it means for not giving up odd man rushes) but I don’t think many have suggested that AGally lacks the skills or mentality. I saw very little of his junior play but he always seemed very defensively responsible. A lot of 17 year old high skills guys will just ignore the defensive side and that never seemed to be him.

A center -particularly in his own end – needs to cover more territory and be prepared for a wider variety of contingencies than a winger. He needs to evaluate and decide very quickly which of these things to execute. As a winger there are places in my own end that I really only end up in if it is a breakdown somewhere, or I was backchecking covering a pinching Defenseman. You could find a plausible reason why a Center might be anywhere, it takes judgement for a Center to decide where he needs to be. I don’t think he lacks that judgement.

In the little that I saw of Galchenyuk in Sarnia this fall (two games) he was excellent, but against largely 17-20 year olds. But the speed and strength and level of competition at the NHL level are different. I think AGally’s thinking and decisions are good for an NHLer and outstanding for a just turned 19 year old rookie. But he will need to grow into the role. A lot of good players before him played a while on the wing before taking on the center role.

thanks for the input. Interesting. Maybe he would have been well served playing centre with in Hamilton, where the players are alot tougher…I just think he will have to learn the defensive end responsibilities sooner or later, why delay that development? I didn´t know alot of high pick centres start off on the wing as you say, but i guess maybe they do. It´s just that it´s looking like he´ll on the wing for 2 seasons, and i thought, that sure is lot for someone who is in no way destined to be a wing.

He can’t play in Hamilton this year. It is part of the agreement with the CHL that players have to be 20 to play in the AHL. It prevents NHL clubs depleting the WHL, OHL and QMJHL of the best players and then tossing them in the AHL.

I don’t think he has to learn the defensive responsibilities of Center, he is probably there. He just needs to get used to the speed and strength of the NHL players, and you can be too exposed starting out at Center. Plus the Habs have a logjam at Center so there is no incentive to rush him into that position.

First of all I’m happy for DD. I think he is a solid citizen and has earned everything that he has received.
And I am glad that he is signed.
However here are some numbers:
DD TP LE
Points 16 19 15
PP Points 4 10 3
Ice Time 5 on 5 ( min) 364 383 311
PP Ice time 81 80 18
+/- -2 +4 +5

DD is usually on the first wave of the PP and has always played with top wingers. He may make them better – I think Gally 11 was playing pretty well before.

II would like to see others given some of the opportunities that DD has been given – in particular on the PP where DD has just not been very effective.
I think his contract reflects the fact that he somewhere between a number 2 and 3 center.

Well I’m extremely happy with this signing. Yes, DD is small and one dimensional and he needs players who go to the net to be effective. But the kid goes to the net, makes great passes, has terrific hands, and out points guys guys getting $5mil and more in the League. And he bleeds Red, White and Blue. Good move by MB.

I’m not worried about keeping Eller. He’s staying too. We have three first lines and a ton of guys who can be moved around.

Question – is Marion Gaborik enough of an impact forward to take a run at? He seems to have left his injury issues behind, there are rumours that he might be available, plays either LW or RW, and has been about a point per game player for the last few years. His salary is a bit high, but with the room that MB has cleared, could be absorbed for the one year he has left.

Funny thing Shane the big concern with him was his ability to stay healthy. He’s been able to do that with the Rangers. Is it possible he just doesn’t fit in a Tort system? He’s got magnificent skills.

Don’t see Iginla going for that little, but I would far rather have him than Gaborik. Problem is that Iginla would be a rental only (UFA after this year) unless the Habs resigned him. Gaborik could probably be had cheaper, and gives you another year. I think that a change of venue would help him alot, and that he would give them a scoring presence they don’t have right now.

Regarding the centre logjan controversy, was DD due to become RFA after this season?
Here´s a question; what would the habs have gained by NOT SIGNING DD to an extension? Maybe he walks away and we get nothing back. Maybe the move makes sense from the point of view that he is now a tradeable asset. I don´t think the team signed him to trade him, but, who knows in a couple of years.
I personally would have signed him to a one year contract if they have really decided to give Gally another year on the wing.

Wouldn´t it be awesome if at some point Eller is offered an extension? That would appease our fear of the kid, who occasionally displays skills NO ONE else on this team has, is gone. I hope it happens. Make no mistake, folks, Eller ARRIVED two nights ago, and he arrived WAY ahead of schedule. He was dominant on every shift, against fellow nhl players, some of them very good one, and that ain´t no fluke.
In fact thinking about it now, I wonder if Eller´s performance happened a couple of weeks ago, instead of 48 hours ago, if DD gest that contract.

Nope, I´m sold. And it´s not just that last game, there have been a few. I didn´t expect Eller to progress nearly this fast, not at all.
I´m glad i was wrong about the rapidity and even the certainty ofEller´s ascension and am willing to eat crow for it. I know he will disappear occasionally as he does for a few games, but simply I haven´t seen anyone that dominant in a habs uniform in a heck of a long time. He just put it all together for one lovely game, all the skill everyone suspected he had, but wasn´t sure,
Since he has the skills, size, is humble, with a good work ethic, and has no attitude problems, he just needs to play now to become a real good player.

There’s a lot of talk with Tinordi. I’m going to have to watch and see how he handles the NHL tomorrow before I could judge him whether he stays or not, maybe in 2-3 games. We don’t know how he will live up to his potential but his height and physicality looks promising.

A junior-aged player with a contract can play up to nine NHL games as a trial period. If he is returned to junior before the tenth game, his contract is effectively put on hold: when he goes to training camp the following season, he will be in the first year of his contract.

Once the player appears in his tenth NHL game, his contract kicks in. He can still be returned to his junior club after that. But at season’s end, a full contract year will expire.

——————
Brandon Prust doesn’t have hair on his testicles, because hair does not grow on steel….

Looks like Grigorenko was viewed differently by Lindy Ruff than he is currently by the new coach in Buffalo. I know these decisions are technically the GM’s but I think, especially in Ruff’s case considering his friendship with Regier, that it was Lindy’s decision to keep him with the big team.

IMO the signing allows MB to keep his options open. The Habs can’t afford to trade any centres right now – Galchenyuk isn’t ready to play the position yet, and probably won’t be next year either as he figures out how to translate his skill set into production in the NHL. I think the contract increases DD’s trade value should the Habs decide to trade him down the line – anyone trading for him has him locked up for the next few years. I also think it allows DD to just concentrate on hockey right now, without worrying about his future, whether it’s with the Habs or not. It’s significant that he does not have a NTC clause. Not saying he will be traded, just saying that MB signed a very good player to a very tradeable contract should he want/need to move him in the future.

Blunden is a great skater, has size and puts in a lot of effort. He was great (relatively speaking for the role he played) last year – even potting in a few. Let’s hope he can help out the boys tomorrow.

And good for Blunden, he seems like a good kid. Glad he gets another shot.

On a side note, how is Schultz doing down there? Is there any chance he gets a call up? I remember last year he was called up but didn’t get an opportunity (probably a result of a trade that didn’t go through). He has the mug of a hockey player! Felt bad he didn’t get his chance…must’ve hurt.

@loonie and his comment that the Desharnais signing means that Eller will be traded reminds me of a guy I work with.

I work on the extremely complex software (SCADA) that controls the pipelines for a major pipeline company. Whenever we would have a problem that this guy was working on, he would come up with a theory of what the problem was. He’d then figure out some way of simulating what he thought the issue was and “prove” that this was what was happening.

I would always get the unpleasant task of explaining to him that he had proved that his theory COULD be the problem, not necessarily that it WAS the problem. He used to get furious, but 9 times out of 10 his theory was nonsense. It never stopped him from coming up with his next theory, or of being convinced that this one was the real answer. And every time he would get just as defensive and angry when I pointed out the error in his logic.

Here we have a couple of facts:

– Desharnais signed a new 4 year deal
– Habs have 4 centres competing for 3 spots
– Plekanec has a NTC

Ipso facto – Eller will be traded. The only problem with this approach is that these are 3 facts out of hundreds of others – some of which we know about (but may not necessarily connect to the issue), and many, many more that we will never know about (unless one of us is secretly Marc Bergevin).

Yes, signing DD COULD mean that Eller will eventually be traded. It certainly doesn’t mean that he WILL be traded. It could equally mean that DD will be traded or that DD or Eller will be moved to the wing or it could mean that DD is a good player that deserved the contract (my personal favorite).

MB may have decided how he wants to handle his logjam at center or he could just be keeping his options open (my other favorite theory). The only one who knows for sure is the GM of the Habs and I don’t think he’s going to share that info.

It’s my belief after this extension that Eller will be traded. I didn’t pretend to pass it off as fact.

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I have enough on the ball to realize that a prediction isn’t necessarily going to inevitably be proven true.

I acknowledged several times during the discussion that there are ways the team can keep Eller. I hope the team does.

Edit: A few dozen people speculate that Galchenyuk can stay on the wing or that Eller or Desharnais will be moved to the wing and you make no mention of those hypothesis being as speculative as my opinion that Eller will be traded nor did you bother to go out of your way to discredit their opinions as the positions of people more often than not in the wrong. I suppose I ask for it both with the frequency at which I post on this board and that the majority of my involvement has centered around that position on this team itself.

so what if they trade eller. he’s playing better this year but is still inconsistent, which may or may not improve. i’m sure pleks could be moved, guys waive the no trade things all the time.

maybe one of these guys will have to play on the wing. i’ve seen players in the nhl make the switch and played with tons of players who are versatile. if all of our centers are so great one of them should be able to adapt to a slightly different role.

Eller’s been consistent first of all. But your second paragraph is fair. A player can move to the wing and remain successful.

The secondary point to this whole issue is that if this team has weaknesses on defense and/or on the wing instead of moving one of these guys to the wing it’s in my opinion more likely that one gets traded to fill a need at a different position in the future.

Plekanec could certainly be traded, but I find it more likely that Eller will be.

It’s a position of strength for Bergevin now and that’s a good thing. I just think that if they trade Eller they’re moving the wrong guy.

Eller is showing tangible signs that he may be developing into a dominant 2-way centre. Did you watch him last game? He was difficult to move off the puck even while in traffic. He hasn’t even filled out his frame yet. You don’t trade a player with this kind of upside just as he is maturing.

I’ve seen the Emelin goal from practice on TSN and I like what I’m seeing here. Which begs me to ask if he can play Centre or a Winger as a tryout? If he can be a scorer on the back as well as in the front crease, why not give him a shot doing forward as well as a Dman?

Agreed Timo… but I often wonder how someone like Subban would do if put on a forward line. The guy can skate better than most in the NHL, and is super strong on the puck… could be like Big Buff in a way. Not saying they should do that, but sometimes a guy can play both D and offense, especially if he’s a phenomenal athlete ala PK.

First we dislike Therrien as the new coach during the voting process along Marc Crawford and Bob Hartley and now we’re going to say “I” or “WE”‘like about’ Therrien…

Well I do agree though that forwards do play forwards, Dmen as defence only, and the goalies play the goalie (unless the starting and backup do get injured, then a forward or dmen should fill-in). Fair enough.

So the Sabres have sent Grigorenko back to junior. Makes the playoffs in the Q a bit different. But am I missing something here? I thought that wasn’t allowed with junior players.

My understanding was that if you keep him more than 8 games (5 for this short season) you had to keep him and the clock started on his ELC.

So, hypothetically, could the Habs send Galchenyuk back to the Sting and, if so, why would they if the clock is already running. I suppose it could all just be about getting him some playing time but it seems funny to me.

Buffalo is allowed to send him back to junior, but they have burned a year off his entry level deal. Also, in a normal season, the threshold is 10 games, this season it was six. In theory, the Habs could send Galchenyuk back to Sarnia.

If they stay more than 5 games it counts as the first year of your ELC You can be sent back down after, but you cannot be recalled again. Typically when a player is sent down after their 5 game audition, its an admission from the franchise that they screwed up assessing their player

TSN 690 this morning was a blast, broadcasting live…talking Habs and having fun at the Irish Embassy Bar downtwon. So I plugged my earphones to my iPhone streaming live.
I grabbed my samples from the car, walked into my customer’s and noticed that not only had they hired a Goddess for a receptionist, but they had completely changed the lobby….. odd.
“Hi, is Jerome in? I have an appointment.”
“I’m sorry, we have no Jerome here.”

I walked into the wrong building.
If you’re working, don’t listen to anything Habs-related. It disrupts the thought process.

1. DD. @ $14/4 years. What’s the #1 reason you Like or Don’t Like this deal?
2. Can we now consider Eller part of the core of this young team: Price, PK, Patches, DD, Gally, Gallagher, Eller?
3 Tinordi. What do you hope or expect to see from him tonight?
4. Is this a good (useful) line?: Moen-White-Armstrong
5. Plex and DD are both C and signed for 4 more years, Gally is obviously a future #1 C. Eller is coming into his own… now that’s he’s playing where he should be – Center. None of these guys is a 4th line player. Who’s the most likely to be traded this year or next?*
*BONUS: If the Habs traded Eller, would you be upset? What would be a fair return?

1) Like. Decent $, Decent term. Locks in depth at centre.
2) Almost… not quite yet, but I’d say the same of the Gals too… Just not quite at it yet.
3) Nothing. But tomorrow. 10 minutes of decent, no risk hockey, a few mistakes. 1 bad pinch and some bobbled pucks. 1 shot on goal. 2 hits.
4) Yep. Eats minutes. Knows its role and plays it. If RW is calm, its a risk free line.
5) Plekanec.
B) Yep… fair return would be someone that contributes right away, but is also still developing. and Fits an organizational need… Dman if trade was today.

4. Yeah, but none of these players is essential to the team; players of their type are a dime a dozen. And Moen doesn’t seem to make much effort this season.

5. All depends on MB’s plan. If the Habs are trying to go all the way, Eller might be leaving in a few weeks if the price is right. Otherwise, I see Pleks getting traded at the deadline next year, if Galchenyuk is the real deal. Which so far, he seems to be.

So for the bonus: I think it’s a gamble. And I’m not sure MB is a “gambler” type of GM. To sum it up, I’ll be pissed if they trade Eller and don’t win the cup. So the return must be something that helps them win the cup. Don’t save your spot for the parade yet…

1. DD. @ $14/4 years. It’s an ok deal, I dont feel great or bad about it.

2. Can we now consider Eller part of the core of this young team: Price, PK, Patches, DD, Gally, Gallagher, Eller?
Definitely.

3 Tinordi. What do you hope or expect to see from him tonight?
Not alot of minutes, but a steady stay at home D, and if he can shove some people out of the crease once in a while that’s great.

4. Is this a good (useful) line?: Moen-White-Armstrong
Yes, especially considering the makeup of a healthy Habs team.

5. Plex and DD are both C and signed for 4 more years, Gally is obviously a future #1 C. Eller is coming into his own… now that’s he’s playing where he should be – Center. None of these guys is a 4th line player. Who’s the most likely to be traded this year or next?*
It’s between Eller and DD, if we are limited to this year or next only, and I hope we keep Eller